1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices that alarm and/or monitor the presence of analytes including but not limited to urine. More specifically, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to devices for treating enuresis. More specifically, the present invention relates to the electronics portion of enuresis alarms including the signal processing portion, the casing surrounding said electronics portion and the means for attaching said casing to articles of clothing in use.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of a urine sensor connected by an electrical cable to an electronics portion, that may utilize a signal processing unit, for the purpose of treating enuresis is well known in the prior art. Electrolytes present in urine close an alarm circuit thereby indicating micturition. Commonly, the electronics portion comprises an alarm unit that sounds an alarm and/or vibrates which wakes nocturnal enuresis sufferers. With time, constant waking at the point of micturition enables training the nervous system of the user so as to learn the sensation of needing to urinate. The electronics portion is contained within a casing that is attached to an item of clothing near the user's collarbone.
The prior art is filled with various solutions for attaching the alarm casing to the user's clothing. Malem Medical of Nottingham, England offers a safety pin permanently attached to the casing. The Dri-Sleeper Excel of New Zealand (described in US 2008/0246620 to Page) offers a hook and tab arrangement which requires each user to sew corresponding hook or tab strips to articles of clothing. US 2005/0110644 to Abramson et al. offers a magnet attached to a flexible arm that extends around a portion of clothing and attaches to a corresponding magnet on the back of the casing.
The above solutions offer functional solutions, however, each suffer from considerable disadvantages. A safety pin can become dangerously dislodged and must be cautiously attached every time. Sewing hook or tab strips to clothing presents a robust but laborious solution; adhesively attaching the corresponding hook or tab to the alarm is not a robust solution. The safety pin and hook and tab solutions also cause the mass of the alarm casing to pull down on the clothing article causing discomfort. The magnet and arm solution is able to utilize the neck opening of a pajama top for example and does not cause uncomfortable pulling on the clothing by virtue of being supported by the neck opening which is supported by the neck of the wearer. Having a strong magnet located in the alarm casing poses special problems however. The above magnetic arm solution to Abramson et al places the controls to the unit inside the alarm casing behind the batteries. Removing the battery door can cause batteries to dislodge and adhere tenaciously to the magnet in the housing making access to the controls difficult. The hook and tab and magnetic arm solution also do not allow for use with a disposable diaper.
The Malem Alarm and Dri-Sleeper Excel (US 2008/0246620 to Page) also place alarm controls inside the alarm casing, presumably exchanging ease of use for the prevention of intentional or unintentional changes to control settings by the user during sleep or alarm event. Indeed, the above US 2008/0246620 to Page requires the user to bridge pins in the circuit board to short out a capacitor in order to cause a change to the frequency of sound.
In use, many prior art sensor and alarm unit enuresis devices permit disabling of the alarm by simply pulling out the cable attaching the sensor to the alarm unit. This has the serious disadvantage of a sleepy child easily disabling the alarm instead of waking up to clean the sensor and change their underwear and curtails the benefit of alarm therapy. The Malem device above and the Wet-Stop3 offer a two step shut off feature requiring a sleeping child or other user wake up and remember how to disconnect the sensor plug and then to hold down a reset button for several seconds while the alarm sounds near the ear. This somewhat traumatic wakening distracts the user from focusing on sensations associated with the need to urinate and running to the bathroom to help form the association.
Use of passive electronics at night, whereby the closing of a circuit that activates an electronics unit is done passively as a result of involuntary nocturnal urination, poses special problems. One such problem is knowing if the electronics are operating properly, especially an issue for the child user. The prior art in enuresis alarms is void of features that actively confirm whether the sensor is inserted properly or whether the batteries are of insufficient power to operate the alarm. The above disadvantages may result in continual use of a non-functioning enuresis alarm and dissatisfaction and eventual rejection of alarm therapy and lead to potential misdiagnosis for the cause of enuresis.